Mel Gibson’s breakout film Mad Max was released 45 years ago this week. The film launched the careers of Gibson and director George Miller and opened the global market to Australian New Wave films. The film resulted from a bunch of newcomers coming together to create an independent, dystopian-action film that cost only 400,000 AUD to make. However, the production of the film was extremely dangerous and the crew risked their lives to film several action scenes.
One man who took a major risk was the Director of Photography, David Eggby, who got on a motorbike traveling at 110 mph to capture a chase. Eggby revealed that there were no safety rules and regulations and everyone in the film just went for it.
Mel Gibson’s Mad Max Shot A Dangerous Chase Scene With The Cameraman On A Motorbike
Mel Gibson‘s Mad Max was a landmark film in Australian, and world cinema. George Miller proved the power of independent cinema by creating an action film with a low budget. The credit goes to the entire team who were equal partners in taking risks to make the film look amazing. During an interview with SciFi Now, David Eggby, the cinematographer of the film, admitted the dangerous nature of the stunts. He shared:
“The stunts were very dangerous. [There were] no safety rules and regulations, back then. I think what made the film so different was everyone – the actors, the crew, the stunt team – just went for it.”
Eggby revealed that the chase scenes in the film were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something that hadn’t been done before. Explaining his shots during these scenes, Eggby shared that the low, wide lenses skimmed the road and the Cinemascope format enhanced the highways. The production stills of Mad Max showed Eggby as a pillion driver on a motorbike, traveling at 110 mph and carrying an Arriflex 3BL camera on his shoulder.
This shot in the first Mad Max film and how DP David Eggby shot it. pic.twitter.com/Ha37Ro6m8o
— Will McCrabb (@mccrabb_will) January 2, 2024
According to @ATRightMovies, Eggby shared in an interview, “I knew we were risking our lives out there.” Eggby also recalled that their movie lacked most of the standard things a Hollywood film would have had then. The film had to contend with a lack of permits to shoot, dangerous action sequences without safety rules, nightmare logistics, and even some outdated camera lenses.
David Eggby Explained That Most Of The Mad Max Crew Were Young And Stupid
In another interview answer quoted in the Mubi profile for the cinematographer, David Eggby mentioned how the age and rawness of the cast and crew came to impact the filming. Eggby, who worked on one feature film, and aged 27 at the time, was one of the most experienced among the Mad Max crew. Eggby shared:
“The age and the rawness of the crew and cast. I was the ripe age of twenty-seven and one of the most experienced on the crew, having done Crawford Productions and worked on one feature film as an operator.”
Eggby admitted that he was much aware of the dangers he undertook for Mad Max. He shared with SciFi Now, “We were all a bit gung-ho. Stupid and young, I guess.” They were lucky and the dangerous gamble paid off handsomely for the film. It grossed more than US$100 million worldwide (via Business Insider) and set a Guinness record for the most profitable film, until The Blair Witch Project broke the record.
Mad Max is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
